History Department Fund

This fund provides general support for the department.

Scholarship Funds

Chapin Endowment Fund

In addition to funding a Master’s Thesis award each year, the Chapin Endowment Fund also provides for a History Award. Although not technically a scholarship (the accounting and procedures vary slightly), the fund still offers you a chance to add your support to a student who is working on a history research project.

John W. Holtz Memorial Scholarship Fund

Since 1989, Mr. Holtz served as a professor of library instructional services at UIS. His responsibilities at Brookens included general reference service, teaching the Library Research Methods course, helping the history, political science, public administration and management information systems departments with instruction and collection development and serving as library specialist for online database searches. He served as chair of the Library Program Department from 1991-93 and in 2000-01. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1981, and was an avid Notre Dame football fan. He earned his Master of Science in European Study and his Masters in Library Science from Indiana University. His had a special interest in military history, particularly the American Civil War, and while at Brookens he organized war gaming and simulations for students, and enjoyed visiting Civil War battle sites. His named scholarship supports any undergraduate student who demonstrates a financial need, but reflecting his own personal interest in history, the award is usually given to a student doing a history research and writing project. The scholarship qualifies for an Access Illinois match, doubling the impact of the scholarship for the next ten years.

Mary and Nelson Howarth Scholarship

Nelson Howarth was a respected Springfield attorney and three-term mayor who was instrumental in convincing the Illinois General Assembly to establish the UIS (then Sangamon State University) campus in 1969. He later taught a course in municipal law and administration at SSU. The Mary and Nelson Howarth Memorial Scholarship was originally established by the family and friends in honor of his life and work. In later years, his wife’s name was added by the family, who continue to support the scholarship through generous donations. Applicants for the scholarship must be in good academic standing with a major in Public Administration, Public Affairs Reporting, Environmental Studies, Political Science or History.

Syma R. Mendelsohn Endowed Scholarship Fund

Syma Mendelsohn moved to Springfield in 1973. She earned an MA in History at UIS (then Sangamon State) over the next three years. While working as a graduate assistant in the Oral History Project under the direction of Cullom Davis, she discovered a talent for writing, marketing and management. In the Washington, D.C. area since then, she has excelled in a career in direct marketing and communications, winning numerous marketing awards, working with hundreds of associations and non-profits, and mentoring dozens of young professionals. She hopes to encourage other graduate students in history through this scholarship.

Jane and John Stout Educational Scholarship Fund

The new Jane and John Stout Educational Scholarship, established in her parents’ memory by Melissa Stout, is for graduates of Chatham’s Glenwood High School majoring in history, teaching or agriculture at UIS. According to Melissa, “My parents were giving, serving people. We felt that enabling and motivating students to pursue the same passions in the same community that Jane and John both called home would be a great way to honor their lives in a way that serves others.” Jane Stout was a member o the first graduating class at Sangamon State (now UIS). She earned an MA in Psychology in 1972 and another Master’s in History in 1988. She taught in the Ball-Chatham School District for over 25 years. John Stout graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana and farmed his family land near Chatham for over 50 years. Because of this, even though UIS does not currently have an agriculture major, the family included agriculture as a possible major for their scholarship recipient.

Other options

If you would prefer, you can create your own scholarship fund, which you will be able to name. You will also be able to establish the criteria for which student is chosen to receive the scholarship.